Prayer is “the most free, universal and disruptive response to death,” the pope said in St. Peterʼs Basilica on Apr. 11.
“Enough of war!” Pope Leo XIV cried out while presiding over a vigil for peace at St. Peterʼs Basilica in the Vatican on April 11.
Prior to the vigil in the basilica — which the pope announced on Easter Sunday, April 5, amid ongoing war in Iran and in the Holy Land — the Holy Father briefly addressed the thousands of faithful present in St. Peterʼs Square to participate in the vigil, whom he thanked for their presence while reminding them that it is possible to build peace.
The pope then entered the basilica to direct the prayer of the rosary, meditating on the glorious mysteries, each accompanied by a biblical reading and a reflection of Saint Cyprian of Cartagena, Saint Caesar of Arles, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Ambrose of Milan and, as is customary, Saint Augustine, all Fathers of the Church.
In addition, and as a sign of peace, before each of the mysteries, a delegation from each of the five continents lit a candle at the foot of the image of Mary, Queen of Peace.
Continental delegates light a candle at the foot of a statue of the Blessed Mother during a peace vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, Saturday, Apr. 11, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
In his speech, the pope said that “war divides, hope unites. Arrogance tramples, love lifts. Blind idolatry, the living God illuminates.”
“A little faith is enough — a pinch of faith, dear brothers — to face together, as humanity and with humanity, this dramatic hour of history.”
“Prayer, in fact, is not a refuge to evade our responsibilities, it is not a painkiller to avoid the pain that unleashes so much injustice,” the pope said. “It is, on the other hand, the most free, universal and disruptive response to death: We are a people who are already resurrected!”
“Letʼs get up from the rubble again!” the pope said. “Nothing can lock us in an already-written destiny, not even in this world in which the graves seem not to be enough, because life continues to be crucified, annihilated, without right and without mercy.”
Leo XIV then recalled the message of St. John Paul II in January of 2003 amid the burgeoning conflict in Iraq in which — while referencing his having survived World War II — the Polish-born pope said: “Never again war!”
Pope Leo stressed that prayer is among the things that “break the demonic chain of evil and put themselves at the service of the Kingdom of God; a kingdom in which there is no sword, no drones, no revenge, no trivialization of evil, no unfair profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness.”
With prayer, he continued, there is “a barrier against that delirium of omnipotence that becomes increasingly unpredictable and aggressive around us. The balances in the human family are severely destabilized.”
After lamenting that “the Holy Name of God — the God of life — is dragged into death speeches,” Leo XIV said that an individual is subjected to this death if he “has turned his back on the living God, to make himself and his own power the mute, blind and deaf idol (cf. Ps 115,4-8), to whom to sacrifice all value and pretend that the whole world bends before him.”
“Enough of self-idolation and money! Enough of the show of strength! Enough of the war! True strength is manifested in the service to life,” the pope said.
The pontiff encouraged the world to overcome the “madness of war” and urged rulers: “Stop! Itʼs time for peace! Sit at tables of dialogue and mediation, not at tables where rearmament is planned and death actions are deliberated.”
Pope Leo specified that this is not only the responsibility of the rulers but of all, since “each one has his place in the mosaic of peace!”
The strength of the rosary
“The rosary, like other very old forms of prayer, has united us this afternoon in its regular rhythm, based on repetition,” the pope said. “This is how peace makes its way, word after word, gesture after gesture. Like a rock, it is sculpted drop by drop. As in a loom, the fabric advances movement after movement. They are the long times of life, a sign of Godʼs patience.”
After urging the faithful not to fall into the “acceleration of a world that does not know what it pursues, to return to serve the rhythm of life, the harmony of creation, and heal its wounds,” Leo recalled that the Church “is a great people at the service of reconciliation and peace, which advances without hesitation, even when the rejection of the logic of war can cost incomprehension and contempt.”
The Church “announces the Gospel of peace and educates to obey God before men, especially when it comes to the infinite dignity of other human beings, endangered by the continuous violations of international law,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
